Framework's One Key Module is a project that Framework announced when it launched the Laptop 16 2nd-gen with the goal of creating an ecosystem for developers to design their own keyboard layouts that tinkerers could put together from parts and schematics, or that could be turned into commercial products. Unfortunately, Framework has just announced that it would be ending the One Key Module program, citing manufacturing complexity and yield issues for the cessation.

First, despite heroic efforts from our engineering and supply chain team members along with their counterparts at our partner Lite-On, we weren't able to bring material and assembly costs along with manufacturing yield to a place where the product economics worked. The per-key costs resulted in breakeven pricing too high to reasonably enable high volume sales, and neither we nor our suppliers can take on the overhead of manufacturing a product of this complexity at low volumes.

Framework also said that there were issues integrating the One Key Module into keyboard designs reliably, especially given the slim form factor of Framework laptops. Second, we found that even the expert DIYers and electronics tinkerers who made up our Developer Program cohort had difficulty reliably assembling the One Key Module into their designs. Parts of the module were too fragile for easy handling, further reducing usable yield. There are design tweaks we could make to drive small improvements, but the changes that would truly improve design for assembly would require exceeding the dimensions that fit the constraints of Framework Laptop 16.

There were a handful of projects made with the One Key Module, including a number of pseudo-split ergo keyboards, actual split ergo keyboards, macro columns for the Framework 16, and even a control deck built specifically for fighting games. Framework is still planning on launching the ZMK-powered Wireless Keyboard Control Board for developers, and it provides documentation for its QMK fork on its Git Hub, so it may be possible to adapt the Cherry ULP switch in conjunction with Framework's other available projects and documentation to build keyboard projects for the Framework 16.